Billing-sheet and billing device.



E. Z. LEWIS.

BILLING SHEET AND BILLING DEVICE.

APPLIGATI'ON FILED JUNE 3, 1912.

Patented Jan. 14, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

LO50A74 E. Z. LEWIS.

BILLING SHEET AND BILLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNBB, 1912.

Patented Jan. 14, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Zi/GTZEI ECZZVWIZ'ZZW 35 1 lines of perforations or EDWARD ZUYER LEWIS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

QILLING-SHEET AND BILLINGDEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed .Tune 8, 1912. Serial No. 701,149.

Patented Jan. 14, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD Zuvnn LEWIS a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in -Billing-Sheets and Billing evices; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,

' clear, and exact description thereof, referonce being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon, cation.

This invention -relates to a novel billing sheets and to a billing device for holding a stack of the same while in use and consists which form a part of this specifiof the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims. i

The invention is adapted for use in billing packages where a way-bill, a label and a record-copy are required, and the object of the invention isto is to say, the way-bill, the label and the record, on a single sheet or strip so prepared that the entries required on the label may be produced at a the packages may thus rapidity.

In carrying out my invention, the three parts, the way-bill, the label and the record-copy, are printed on a single sheet of paper, the three being arranged in succession in the order named from left to right of the sheet and being separated by equivalent lines of weakening or fold. The way-bill and record-copy areprinted on the obverse face of the sheet while the label is printed on the single writing and be billed with great Transfer means is applied to the obverse face of the record portion of the billand a carbon ribbon or carbon paper is provided on the billing device to lie on top of that part of the way-bill (the righthand gut) .which is to receive the label entry.

y grasping the sheet on each side of the fold line between the label and record-portions, they may be folded in back to.

one movement and three copies of the label entries made the record portion terminates short of the end of'said extension adapted to the county of Cook checking without the same being reproduced provide the three, that- 'so that a the left upon the way-bill portion portion which has a marginal receive additional numbering or on the bills belowit. This marginal extension also? serves as a finger hold in running over the bills and prevents the finger,

and other advance billing data. Said extension occupies preferably about one half the length of the way bill so as to provide ample room for the data to be written thereon.

The improved billin as will appear, for hol ng a carbon ribbon in proper-position as above described and for holdin the triplicating bills in a stack er one is inscribed it may be easily removed from the device.

In the drawings :Figure l is a perspective view representing one form of my improved billing device containing a plurality of my improved triplicating bills arranged in stacks ready for use. Fig." 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a view representing a longitudinal section through the billing device in a plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a view representing a partial section like Fi 3 showing one of the bills as it appears w on in position to be written upon. Fig. 5 is device is intended,

v1ew representing a transverse section,

through the billing device in a plane indicated by the line 5.5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a top plan view of one of the triplicating bills. Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view of the same. Fig. 8 is a pers ective view representing another form 0 billing device for retaining the bills in tion with reference to the bill.

Referring now to the drawings and par-.

ticularly to Figs 1 to 7 inclusive, 10 indicates the triplicating bill, 11 indicates the way-bill, 12 the label and- 13 the recordcopy, said parts being arranged from left.

to right on said bill in the order named and being defined by intermediate lines of free of transfer material and,

a stack and holding the carbon sheet or ribbon in proper positransfer stamps perforations l t, lb. The way bill and record-copy are printed on the ,obverse face of the sheet while the label is printed on the reverse face of the sheet (see Figs. 6 and 7). As shown, only half of the way-bill is printed to receive the label information while the other half is printed to receive the transfer stamps and the like, l7 indicates transfer material applied to the reverse face of the record-copy portion 13 and 18 indicates an extension at theend of said portion 13 which extension has no transfermaterial on its reverse face. i

The billing device for holding the improved triplicating billing sheet is as follows that shown in Figs. 1 to 55.; inclusive, being adapted for holding three stacks. Said device consists of a; box 19 having a bottom wall 20, an end wttll 2i and upright side walls 22 22. Saiddevice is thus open at the top and at one end. lln order to provide for the three stacks of billing sheets, the said box is divided transversely into three compartments extendinglongitudinallv of the box, the several compartments being separated by upright dividing walls 23 it will be readily understood that each of these compartments constitutes the container for one stack of bills and the device may include one or more of such compartments. Each compartment is of the Width and length of the triplicating bill and as all are alilre a description of one will suffice.

24 indicates a plate or platen slightly less in width than the compartment in which it is located and which is adapted to receive and supp ort a stack 25 of the triplicating bills. Une end of said plate is located adjacent the end wall 21 of the billing device, while its other end terminates short of the open end of the billing device said plate being as long as the combined length of the way-bill and label portions of thebill sheet.

26, 27 indicate finger extensions made rigid with the ends of the plate 24c, and located midway between the lateral edges of the same. The left'hand finger extension 26 projects through a vertical slot 28 in the end wall 21 of the billing device and is limited in its upward movement by the part of the end wall 21 which forms the upper end of the slot 28.

29 indicates a bar extending transversely of the billing device compartment and attached in any convenient manner to the side walls 22, 22 and the intermediate dividing walls 23, 23 thereof.

30 indicates springs (as shown, lea-f springs) interposed between the bottom wall 20 of the billing device and the platen or plate 24 and adapted to hold said plate or platen in its highest position.

31 indicates a transverse rod or roller located intermediate the end wall 21 and the transverse bar 29, rotatively mounted in plates 32, 32 secured to the side walls of the device.

. 33 indicates a carbon sheet or carbon ribbon, preferably one provided with transfer means on both sides. Said carbon extends transversely across the top of the billing device in a position intermediate the bar 29 and the rod or roller 31 and is secured at its ends to the side walls 22. It is held down by straps 34- secured to the top edges of the side and intermediate walls 22, 23' of the billing device. As shown said straps are made integral at one end with the transverse bar 29.

35 indicates another transverse rod or bar secured to the side and intermediate walls of the billing device above the right hand end of the plate or platen 2d.

The linger extension 27 is adapted when brought down against the bottom wall 20 of the billing device to be engaged by a butlton 36 which is pivoted to said bottom wa l.

The operation of my improved billing sheet, and of the improved device in which it is contained is as follows: The platen or plate 24 is depressed against the upward pressure of the springs 30 and the right hand finger piece 27 is engaged under the button 36. By means of the thumb of the left hand engaged against the left hand finger piece 26, the left hand end of the platen is then depressed and the right hand is used to place a stack of the triplicating bills on top of the platen 24 with their lateral edges in engagement with the side walls of the compartment and their left-hand ends against the end wall 21 of the billing device. The left-hand finger-piece'26 is then released and also the finger-piece 27, whereupon the springs 30 cause the stack of bills to be brought into engagement with the bar 29 and the roller 31. In placing the stack of bills on the platen 24:, their right-hand end parts are brought to rest above the trans verse bar 35 (see Fig. 3). The bars 29 and 35 are so spaced apart and located with reference to the length of the billing device that when the bills are placed as above described, the bar 35 will be located under the line of perforations 15., separating the labe. portion of the bill from the record-copy portion, and the bar 29 will be located above the line of perforations 1d, separating the label from the way-bill portion. Thr carbon paper or ribbon 33 is of substantially the Width of the label. With the bills as sembled in the billing device in this way and held securely in this position by'means of the spring 30, the bend in the sheet formed by means of the transverse bar 35 is grasped by the thumb and finger, the sheet folding readily when so grasped along the line of perforations 15. The sheet is then folded till lOtl

back about the bar 29 on the line of perforations 14 to bring the label on top of the carbon ribbon 33 and above the part of the waybill that is to receive the label data. The bill is now in position to be made out and it is apparent that one writing will produce the label data on all three parts of the bill. The bill is then severed into two by tearing it along the bar 29 and the record bill and label bill section are separated bytearing them along the line of perforations 15. The way-bill may then be withdrawn from below the roller 31, which still retains it in place, by depressing the platen 24.

Instead of using the billing device described the billing sheets may be attached together at one end,'as shown in Fig. 8, by means of staples 40. In this case, 4:1 indicates the carbon sheet or ribbon which is of substantially the length and Width of the way-bill portion 11, so that it may be at-- tached at one end by means of the same staples that attach the stack of billing sheets together. The operation in this case is the same as before except that no meansis provided for holding the stack of sheets bent at the line of perforations l5 dividing the sections 12 and 13, but the line of perforations will cause the paper to fold so easily that the fold may be readily formed by placing the thumb and finger on each side of the perforations, when the parts of the sheet are folded back as before and written upon as described. In this case also the perforations alone are relied upon for separating the sheet along the line of perforations 14 after it has been written upon and the staples 40 perform the function of holding the top sheet in place until removed from the balance of the stack instead of the roller 31.

By providing a carbon ribbon with transfer means on both sides, the label will receive a copy of the address and other data to be placed thereon on both faces and this is of advantage in case the directions on the face of the label placed outward on the package are blurred or obliterated, since the label may be removed by steaming or otherwise and a perfect copy, although reversed, will portion and printed on the obverse face of be preserved on the face next the package. I claim as my invent1on:

1. A billing sheet consisting of a single sheet containng a way-bill portion, a label a record portion, arranged end to end'and in the order named, the waybill portion and the record portion being the sheet and V the label portion being printed on the reverse face of the sheet, the way-bill portion being longer than the label portion, the record portion having transfer means applied to its rear face and having an extension at its free end which is free of transfer material on its rear face, and the three portions being defined by lines of fold by means of which way bill portion being label being longer than lurality of billing of the sheet, the way-bill portion and the I record portion being printed on the obverse face of the sheet and the label portion being printed on the reverse face of'the sheet, the

portion, the record portion having transfer means applied to its rear face and having an extension at its free end which is free of said transfer material on its rear face, said several. portions being across the which the at one o by means 0 sheet may be folded as described eration, means for holdi bills in a stack adapted to permit each bill to be withdrawn'or detached from the stack, and a sheet coated with transfer material adapted to cover the part of the way bill portion under the label portion when the portion and record portion are folded back on said way-bill portion.

3. In combination, a pluralit of billing sheets each consisting of a wayill portion, a label portion and a record portion, arranged end to end in the order named from the left-hand end of the bill sheet, the waybill portion and the recordportion being printed onthe obverse face of the sheet, and the label portion being printed on the reverse face of the sheet, the way-bill portion the label portion, the record portion having transfer means applied to its rear face and havinga marginal extension at its right-hand end free of said transfer material, said several portions being defined by lines of weakening extending across the sheet between them, a box for holding said plurality of bills in a stack g said pluralityof longer than the label defined by lines of I weakening extending transversel sheet between them f open at the top and at the right-hand end, a

a. yielding platen vertically box adapted to support said tending across said box to limit the u ward movement of said platen .and to retam the stack of bills thereon, and a transverse bar extending across the open top of said box movable in saidbills, means exadapted for engagement with the top bill of said stack along the line dividing the label from the record portion, and carbon means secured to and extending across the open top of said box above the position to be occupied by that part of the Way-bill p0rtion of the bill that is to receive the information on the label.

l. A device for holding bills of the kind described comprising a box of substantially the length and Width of the bill, said box being open at. the top and at the right-hand end, a yielding platen mounted in said box,

a, hm" amending acmss the mpen mp 01?: said box intwrmdiate its'em'is, a irofier extendmg across the-open top 01? sairl box at a, point intermediate 21M bar and the closed and, M? saidi bmi, and a fixed garbon ribbon seemed at its; ends t0 the siole of 'saidbax anal tending trzzmsversely across, the) open 60p thmreof between smii bar and said roller.

"in msfimrsmy that L claim aha ifomgnimg as my" invention 1 mflfix my signaturga in the presence 01? two Witnesses, this 81st day 0% May A, D. 1912.

EDWARD ZUVER LEV/1S0 Witneasas:

@LAPUENCE Ea Mmmnom, GEORGE R, Wmmm, 

